OWU students venture outside the classroom

Many accounting students don’t get any closer to the real world than an internship. But this fall, a group of Ohio Wesleyan students had the chance to see a different side of being a CPA by attending the Columbus Accounting Show.

Students in the OWU Accounting Fellows program attended the show for a taste of what it’s like to earn CPE and experience the profession from outside the classroom.

“Being an accountant isn’t just sitting in your office and compiling tax returns,” said Madeleine Juszynski, OWU senior. “There are a lot of interactions with others and more soft skills than most people would think.”

Juszynski has a major in economics and a minor in accounting and Chinese. After she graduates next year she plans to attend law school somewhere in the south, and is thinking about a career in tax law. She appreciated seeing the environment of the event as well as what counts for CPE.

Juszynski said she most enjoyed the session on tax reform–hearing the topic discussed from an accounting perspective, not a political one, and considering the impact of the new proposal.

“It was interesting to see that most of the tax code has been the same since before I was born,” Juszynski said. “And it’s interesting to be reminded that tax policy is created, not just something that’s given.”

Resnik, a senior who will graduate in May said one of her favorite sessions focused on emotional intelligence. She said she was surprised to see the wide variety of industries represented at the show, and the number of vendors that cater specifically to accountants.

“It opened my eyes to how important our job is and how I need to keep up with things,” she said.

Resnik, who will start as a full-time auditor at Deloitte in September, said she appreciated the value of the event.

“It’s really important that accountants must take continuing education,” Resnik said. “There are a lot of new topics and new reforms and new everything, you have to constantly keep yourself updated. You can’t keep your head down and work for 10 years and change nothing.”